The UK Government has published its response to the independent de Bois review of Destination Management Organisations in England, conducted by VisitEngland Advisory Board Chair, Nick de Bois.

The response recognises that Destination Management Organisations are a vital part of England’s tourism landscape, connecting with local businesses and Government agencies to attract investment and visitors across the regions, boosting the visitor economy. The response states that, for this to happen, it is necessary to transform the DMO landscape at a local level and address long-running concerns about the structure, funding models and fragmentation of England’s DMO landscape.

As a result, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) has announced that it will provide £4 million over the next three years for VisitEngland to develop and administer a new accreditation scheme. This funding will also be used to create a pilot in one region of the country, giving one top-tier DMO or a group of local DMOs the opportunity and investment to restructure under a new model.

VisitEngland says that under the new accreditation scheme, DMOs will be renamed Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs). Running alongside this, the pilot of a tiering model in a region of England will run over the next couple of years. It will give one top tier partnership, or a collection of partnerships (known as a Destination Development Partnership), funding and the opportunity to focus on activities that ensure their destination remains sustainable, competitive and responsive to challenges such as boosting skills, accessibility and levelling up.